Live streaming is becoming more popular with brands and content creators

Brands are using live streaming more and more in order to reach the masses.

Live streaming has become a focal point as heavyweights such as Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, and YouTube invest significant sums of money into building and enhancing their own live stream platforms, according to the Financial Times.

Some recent campaigns have shown the power of live streaming. Singer Gwen Stefani was the first artist to release a live music video through Periscope, which she did during a commercial break at the Grammys in March. Target sponsored the music video, and 25 million people watched the four-minute long video, which was done in one take.

BMW also debuted a campaign for its M2 model through Periscope, and users got to see the car in action on a BMW race track. More than 5,000 people were reached in the first 10 minutes, and the campaign in total amassed 48,000 social engagements, 16.6 million impressions, and 3,000 new Periscope followers.

Despite this success, there are some potential pitfalls to live streaming. Timing is an issue because users are becoming accustomed to watching content when they want, not when a brand or content creator dictates. The increase in subscription video-on-demand services is proof of that.

To meet this need, Periscope leaves streams up for 24 hours after they first air, and Facebook Live keeps them up indefinitely unless the user removes it.

Analytics and tracking could also be an issue because in many cases, likes and views are the only ways to determine the success or failure of a particular stream.

Live streaming is on the rise, which has contributed to the growth of mobile video as a whole. Consumers are more frequently watching content on their smartphones and tablets, which has forced companies to change their approaches.

Margaret Boland, research analyst for BI Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service, has compiled a detailed report on mobile video that takes a look at how short-form mobile video has exploded. The report examines how YouTube, the historically dominant force in short-form video, was slow to implement a mobile video strategy, opening the door for new players —namely Facebook and Snapchat — to emerge.

It also takes a look at how winners will begin to emerge in distinct video content categories. YouTube, for instance, will rely heavily on its homegrown YouTube stars to distinguish its video library and drive loyalty. Facebook will become the go-to place for brands and media companies to engage with the largest audience. And Snapchat will utilize its live-events coverage and exclusive content to promote video communication among younger mobile audiences.

The rise in mobile video viewing can be attributed to several factors: an increase in overall time spent on mobile, the convenience of on-demand viewing, a preference for digital video viewing, and the increased availability of mobile video content.

As video becomes mobile-first, YouTube's hold on the short-form video industry is waning. The number of videos that are uploaded to the platform per month has remained stagnant over the past year, according to Socialbakers data shared with BI Intelligence.

Facebook is in the best position to upset YouTube as the go-to place for brand and media companies to upload videos and for users to watch these videos. Although Snapchat may not be competing with Facebook and YouTube on video volume, the app is changing how consumers, brands, and publishers are using mobile video for communication, news and entertainment, and live-event coverage.

In full, the report:

Maps out the rise of mobile video viewing and lays out the main drivers of this trend.

Illustrates the dramatic increase in the number of videos that brands and media companies are publishing to Facebook over the past year.

Forecasts the number of videos that US brands and media companies will publish to both Facebook and YouTube in 2016.

Explains how Snapchat is able to compete with larger video platforms and is changing how brands, media companies, and consumers are using mobile video.

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